Reincarnated With A Glitched System: Why Is My MP Not Running Out?

Chapter 2071: Gathering Together

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Everyone stopped walking as they realized they hadn’t seen Lara for a while. Ever since they had defeated the Stone Dragon, the cheerful half-goat girl had been wandering around, cutely jumping and chatting with the spirits. Now that her powers had grown so sharp, she could sense and speak to every speck of spirit energy in the air. She seemed even more scatterbrained than before.

"Lara seriously needs luck. How can she get lost so easily?!" Celeste muttered, shaking her head. "Laraaaaa!"

The whole group began searching the area, combing through the vast interior of the Stone Dragon.

"I think I can find her quickly," said Celica. She placed her hand on the wall and spread her phantasmal consciousness through it. "Lara! Where are you?"

Her senses expanded rapidly across the titanic creature’s interior. Before long, she located Lara sitting in a puddle of spiritual blood oozing from the shattered core of the Stone Dragon. Tiny spirits surrounded her as she gently touched and caressed them.

"Do you guys like the spirit energy here?" Lara asked with a bright smile. "It’s nice, right? Heheh!"

Celica couldn’t believe she was playing with spirits while everyone else worried desperately about Sylphy.

"Lara! There you are!"

"Ah!" Lara jumped, startled, as the spirits scattered around her. "Eh? Celica? Where are you? Huh? What’s wrong?" She quickly stood up and brushed the dust from her clothes. "W-Wait! Did I wander off again without realizing? I’m so sorry! There wasn’t an immediate threat, so I got distracted... yeah, sorry!"

"It’s fine," Celica said. "Let’s gather outside. Come on!"

"Okay!" Lara nodded and followed her out of the giant Stone Dragon’s body. She rejoined the rest of the party with an apologetic smile. "Everyone! Sorry for getting lost! I was just following the spirits and found a really cool Spirit Spring inside the monster’s body."

"Really?" Celeste asked. "Well, that’s nice. We could come back later to extract the resources properly."

"B-But the spirits prefer it that way!" Lara protested. "Celeste, you’re too greedy!"

"What?!" Celeste gasped. "I’m not greedy! I was just saying." She paused, then her expression grew serious. "Anyway... you didn’t feel it? Sylphy’s connection with everyone has been severed."

"Huh?" Lara tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "She is? But... ah, the bracelet is disconnected... but..."

Everyone suddenly fell silent, their eyes narrowing as they listened intently to her strange words.

"But what?" Zephyrus asked.

"She’s not gone," Lara said. Her eyes grew unfocused as she gazed around at the ceiling, walls, and floor. "Hmm... I can still feel her presence. She’s definitely alive!"

"How can you feel her when none of us can?!" Celeste barked, her voice sharp with frustration and envy. "That’s so unfair! D-Did you two have some special super-friendship behind our backs?!" Her jealous tone and expression overwhelmed Lara for a moment.

Lara laughed softly at Celeste’s words. She walked over and gently took her hand, releasing a warm spiritual aura as she smiled. "That’s not it. I’m just her friend, that’s all. We’re like sisters."

"S-Sisters?!" Celeste gasped. Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears. "She’s never said that about me..." Her voice cracked. "Guuhh... Sylphy, do I really not matter to you at all?"

"Aw, Celeste, don’t be discouraged! She loves you!" Lara reassured her.

"R-Really?!" Celeste’s eyes widened with hope, only for her face to flush with embarrassment as Lara continued.

"And she loves everyone else too!" Lara added cheerfully. "Hm? What were you saying, Celeste?" She tilted her head in innocent confusion.

"N-Nothing! Never mind! You heard nothing!" Celeste cried, her face burning red.

The rest of the party stared at her with knowing looks that clearly said, You really haven’t gotten over that crush, huh?

"Okaaaaay!" Lara nodded kindly. "Now, what I was saying is that she’s right here! This is Sylphy’s presence!" She spread her aura outward in a dazzling display of red, gold, green, azure, silver, and countless other colors. Everyone stood frozen in awe.

"W-What is this?!" Zephyrus gasped. "Divinity?!"

"Is this her presence?!" Celica exclaimed. "Woooow!"

"Incredible! This is Sylphy?!" Mist asked, utterly shocked.

"I can’t believe it," Ruby whispered. "Wow... Is this really her presence? Then why did she cut her connection with us?"

"She didn’t," Lara explained, rubbing her chin. "Her connection to the artifacts was lost because... her spirit heart was damaged. Well, you see, I am the Spirit Saintess!"

"...Yeah, we know," everyone replied almost in unison, clearly tired of hearing it.

"So rude! I was just saying!" Lara huffed. "Anyway, as the Saintess of the Spirits, I can feel Sylphy and her crew because they’re all spirits! Yes—even Sylphy is a spirit. She always has been."

"She was?!" Celeste asked. "W-What does that mean?!"

Lara looked genuinely shocked that they didn’t know. "W-Wait a minute, you don’t know?! Uhh... eeeh, this is unbelievable. How could I be the only one?"

"It’s shocking?! What are you talking about?" Celeste pressed.

"Hmm, how do I explain it...? Well, Sylphy’s race is like spirits!" Lara said. "Fairies are spirits given physical form by the Goddess Yggdrasil. Sylphy might only be a third fairy, but she’s still a fairy. Her inner spirit body stays mostly dormant, but it awakens and grows stronger when she uses magic and auras. Especially now that she forged a spirit heart to cultivate it. But her spirit heart is hurt... that must have shut down her spirit body and severed the bracelets’ connection."

"Fairy..." Celeste blushed. "I’ve always known she was cute, but that’s next level."

"Her grandmother is a fairy, right?" Ruby asked. "Or so I’ve heard. The queen of the Naturia Kingdom is a fairy from another kingdom—the one close to the Goddess Yggdrasil. Most people just call it the Country of Fairies. Despite its power, it’s a small, quiet nation. Unlike elves, fairies prefer to stay completely detached from the outside world."

"Yeah, we know. We’ve met her grandmother," Mist said. "Ah! S-sorry, was that rude, Zephyrus? I guess that must have been offensive to the queen!" She quickly covered her mouth.

"It’s fine," shrugged Zephyrus.

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